(speaks Arabic) sabah alkhyr
Or, good morning.
(cheering)
And good morning, Class of 2017 and happy commencement!
(cheering and applause)
I extend a warm welcome to friends, families, professors,
administrators, alumni, staff, and everyone who has chosen
to join us on this momentous day.
I was nervous enough knowing
when I was elected Class President
that I had to make this speech in front of so many people
that I have the highest respect for.
But now, Oprah?
(laughter)
Really?
(laughter)
Well, that's Smith for you.
(laughter)
Class of 2017, we have just spent
a wonderful week celebrating.
(laughter)
And if there is anything that I have realized in this week,
it's that the first thing that we will miss about Smith
is each other.
Class of 2017, I love you.
(yelling and cheering)
As we have taught each other and grown with each other
and supported each other, we must remember
that we have also taught, grown with, and supported Smith
just as it has done for us.
No institution is perfect, but standing here
four years later, I know that I am exactly
where I'm meant to be.
We're all moving on to different fields and opportunities
but what we share and carry with us is the Smith bond.
The one that lets you bump into a stranger,
find out that they're a Smithie too,
and proceed to gush over your Smith experiences
and the wild shenanigans you had.
(light laughter)
With all the unforgettable traditions we have experienced,
from Convocation to Mountain Day,
from primal scream to our beloved house teas,
with each passing day we have woven ourselves deeper
into the fabric of Smith College.
Ivy Day, a tradition we experienced just yesterday,
is a testament to the lasting impact that attending Smith
has on one's life, with alumni from across decades
showing up to support each other and to support Smith.
May we continue to call Smith home,
continue to support Smith, and continue to build
on our remarkable college experience.
So, change has been a constant theme in our four years here
and you all epitomize what it means
to be an agent of change, both accepting and creating it.
Student groups like Q and A have organized for inclusion
and seen the amending of the admission policy
to accept trans women.
Whoo!
(loud cheering)
Yeah.
(cheering)
Students in collaboration with Smith's Center
for the Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability
have organized for food justice, encouraging Smith
to sign on to the Real Food Challenge.
(cheering and applause)
The group Organizing for Undocumented Students' Rights
has championed...
(loud cheering)
(laughs)
(cheering and applause)
They've championed for accessibility to education
and worked with the administration to include
undocumented students as domestic students
in the admission process.
And finally...
(loud cheering)
And finally, students of color have organized for diversity
and inclusion across all platforms.
(cheering and applause)
In our class, two of our members,
Yashna Sureka and Christine Yee
(cheering)
have received a Gates Foundation grant
out of over 1100 applicants.
They've developed a fingerprint authorization system
for monetary transactions in India.
(cheering and applause)
We have 17 Fulbright scholars and students going on
to graduate schools like Columbia, Yale,
and the Imperial College of London.
(cheering and applause)
Some of us are off to human rights internships
and others to jobs.
I am so looking forward to working for the United Nations
Regional Cairo office in support of women and children
who have suffered trauma.
And for some of us, we're still exploring and that is okay.
(laughter)
(cheering and applause)
So much applause.
From my four years here, and sharing this time
with all of you, I have learned not to think in binaries,
to listen before I speak, and to push farther
than I think is possible.
We've had our highs and our lows at Smith,
fallen in and out and back in love with Smith,
given our blood, sweat, and tears,
but we have definitely achieved long-lasting
and meaningful change at Smith.
Although we have had vastly different experiences,
we have all shared a part of our life stories
here on campus.
And today, we take a part of Smith with us
as we embark on our individual odysseys.
I say odysseys because I predict that our lives will be more
than just journeys, rather intellectual
and spiritual voyages marked by many, many adventures.
For instance...
(sighs)
Someone who has inspired me here at Smith,
Professor Suleiman Mourad, received his first...
(cheering)
Yeah.
Received his first undergraduate degree in mathematics
and yet now is a leading scholar
in medieval Islamic history and thought.
(cheering)
So even though our paths are undetermined,
I urge you not to move forward with fear,
but instead, a belief in your own abilities.
As feminist writer Audre Lorde wonderfully put it,
"When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength
"in the service of my vision, then it becomes
"less and less important whether I am afraid."
Before I close, I would like to give one last shout-out
to my family who is here from Kuwait.
(breathes heavily)
(cheering and applause)
Thank you for always supporting me
and never allowing stereotypes to dictate my life.
I love you.
(cheering and applause)
Class of 2017, may our journeys be alive with passion,
empowered with vulnerability,
and brimming with opportunities.
May we continue to affirm each other's humanities
and lend our ears to friends in need.
And as Bob Dylan once said, "May we stay forever young."
Congratulations, and thank you!
(loud cheering and applause)
Thank you, thank you.
I would now like to invite President McCartney to join me
so I can present her with a gift from the Class of 2017.
(cheering)
We would like to present the college with a donation
to the Fund for Organizations and Developing Leaders.
The senior class cabinet raised $2,017
as its first contribution, not to be confused
with the gift we received yesterday from the Class of 1967.
(laughter)
It is our hope that this fund will play an instrumental role
in the lives of Smith students for years to come.
We ask that you accept this gift on behalf
of all the members of the graduating class.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
(cheering and applause)
Good job.
Okay.
Thank you.
(laughter)
(cheering and applause)